Method of navigation for a submarine boat



1965 J. Y. COUSTEAU ETAL 3,169,500

METHOD OF NAVIGATION FOR A SUBMARINE BOAT Fig.1

United States Patent I 3,169,500 METHOD OF NAvlorgrg ly FOR A SUBMA RINEJacques Yves Cousteau, Paris, France, Emile Gagnan, Montreal, Quebec,Canada, and Jean Alinat, Nice, France, assignors to La SpirotechniqueFiled July 13, 1962, Ser. No. 209,589 Claims priority, applicationFrance, July 21, 1961, 868,601, Patent 1,302,625 3 Claims. (Cl. 114.16)

This invention relates to a method of navigation for a submarine boat.It is characterized in that the, axis of the boat is approximatelyvertical when the boat dives or comes up during some length of time. Byapproximately vertical, it is meant herein that the axis of the boat isat an angle of 45 atleast from the horizontal, which far exceeds whatcan be done with a submarine or bathyscaphe without jeopardizing itssecurity. The angle is preferably in the range 6090.

In the instant patent, the bow and stern of the boat are the ends whichare respectively fore and aft when she works normally, for instance whenshe follows the bottom of the sea at a short distance above it; the axisof the boat is the fictitious straight line through the bow and stern.

For the comfort of the operators and the good working of the equipment,the same end of the boat, usually the stern, should preferably be thelower, both when diving and when coming up.

The method according to this invention has the following advantage. Thestreamlining of submarine craft is usually such that the resistance toadvance is minimum when the boat moves approximately along her axis, butconsiderably greater when she moves at right angles to her axis. Theresult is that, with a given negative buoyancy, the boat sinks much moreslowly when her axis is horizontal than when it is vertical. The sameobtains for coming up. This advantage is more or less marked accordingto the streamlining of the boat and to her orientation with reference tothe direction of sinking or coming As described hereafter, this methodcan be achieved quite simply by providing the boat with two easilyreleasable ballasts, one at the bow and one at the stern. If it is thestern which is lowest during the dive, the stern ballast is releasedwhen she is at the bottom; to come up, the bow ballast is released.

The enclosed figures show, diagrammatically and as an illustration, anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an elevation of various positions of the boat duringnavigation.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of a boat provided for carrying out themethod of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a suitable battery box for the use of the invention.

On FIG. 1 is shown a boat in various successive positions, denoted bythe letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G. The bow is in 12, the stern in 14.

In (10A), the boat floats, in readiness for a dive. The rearwater-ballasts are then filled with water: the boat tilts with her stern14 lowest and her how 12 highest, sinks and dives at a sharp angle withthe vertical to the bottom; in position (10B), it is diving.

Once the boat has touched the bottom 16, rear ballast is released; thisballast is so calculated that the boats buoyancy is then approximatelyzero and that she is poised with her axis 12-14 approximatelyhorizontal: this is shown in (10C).

The boat can then easily move, slightly above the bottom, for instanceby means of the orientable water nozzles and of the mercury cylindersdescribed in French Patent No. 1,241,757; she is shown in (10D) afterhaving travelice led some distance, and in (1015.) at the end ofitsworking travel. Y i

In (10E), front (12E) ballast is released. The poise of the boat istherefore altered: its buoyancy becomes strongly positive and she ispoised with her axis approximately vertical, bow upwards. (10F) showsthe boat in this position and coming up.

In (10G), the boat has emerged.

In the above description, it was said that ballast was released when theboat had touched bottom. It is usually preferable to release ballast afew yards at least above the bottom, so that the impact of the stern onthe bottom is milder 'or even disappears; it is then useful that theboat be provided for instance with a sounding device directed rearwards.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic section of the arrangement of a submarine boatequipped for the method of the invention. The boat is supposed to be inthe working position, such as shown in (10D) on FIG. 1.

This boat has two hulls:

A watertight hull 20, thick enough to resist water pressure at thedepths for which the boat is designed;

A thin and non-watertight hull 22, inside which water can penetrate andbathe various appliances; the waterballasts or some of them if any maybe placed inside this hull.

Ballasts 24 and 26 mentioned above are placed inside the non-Watertighthull or fastened to the latters under surface. The ballasts may be ofvarious types: mercury or lead shot inside tanks, iron pigs held byelectromagnets or by clamps, etc.

The operators are of course housed in the watertight hull. They are forinstance a pilot 28 and an observer 30' looking through a watertightporthole 32. When diving or coming up, stern downwards, the pilot lieson his back and the observer is standing.

In 34 and 36 are shown containers for which side 38 or 40, normally atthe top, must not be at the bottom. They may be batteries with theirplugs upwards in normal use, and which must not assume too great aslant.

Containers 34 and 36 are not shown with their tops 38 and 40 in theirnormal positions, although the boat is in working positions: the topsare really at the top when the boat has a slant intermediary between, onthe one hand the slants of the diving and coming up positions (10B, 10F)and, on the other hand, among the slants (10C, 10D, 10E) she offers whenshe works in normal conditions, that slants (10C on FIGURE 1) which isthe most different from the diving and coming-up slants.

It may be seen on FIG. 2 that the slant of containers 34 and 36 is notexcessive when the boat is in the working position; the same obtainswhen the boat is emerged, as her orientation is then almost the same.

To assume the diving or coming up position, the boat shown turns about70 in the direction of arrow 42, the zenith then being in the directionof arrow 44; containers 34 and 36 then have a slant which is notexcessive either.

The batteries are usually the part of the equipment which has most to bedesigned against strong slants.

The battery box shown diagrammatically as a section on FIG. 3 has anouter shell 46 and an inner shell 48.

The latter contains the battery plates 50, which are bathed Ifreleasable ballasts are added to an existing boat with a low buoyancy,so as to allow the use of the invention, the buoyancy should beincreased; for instance tanks containing light petrol may be placedoutside the thick hull.

Variations may be resorted to without overstepping the boundaries ofthis invention. For instance, the boat may dive and come up bowdownwards.

What we claim is: p V

1. The method for submerging a submersible boat from a floating positionon the water to a horizontal position at a desired depth under the watercomprising the steps of tilting the boat to a sharp 'angle with thevertical and decreasing the buoyancy to sink the boat to the desireddepth whereby to produce a fast dive due to the minimum of resistanceotfered by the shape of the craft, and then tilting the boat to thehorizontal position.

2. The method for submerging a submersible boat from a floating positionon the water to a horizontal position at a desired depth under the waterand then surfacing the boat to the original floating position comprisingthe steps of tilting the boat to a sharp angle with the vertical,decreasing the buoyancy to sink the boat to the desired depth, tiltingthe boat to the horizontal position, tilting the boat to a sharp anglewith the vertical, increasing the buoyancy to return the boat to thesurface, and tilting the boat to the floating position, whereby thetilting of the craft craft.

3. The method for controlling the submergence and emergence of asubmersible boat from a floating position comprising decreasing thebuoyancy to sink the boat, shifting ballast to cause the boat to assumea sharp angle to the vertical to accelerate the submergence, releasingbal- 'last when the boat approaches the bottom to effect a substantiallyzero buoyancy, tilting the boat to substantially a horizontal positionwhile near the bottom, tilting the boat to a sharp angle to the verticaland increasing the buoyancy for rapid ascent and tilting the boat to agenerally horizontal floating position when at the surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS575,890 Hinsdalc Jan. 26, 1897 1,158,160 Barraja-Frauenfelder Oct. 26,1915 2,887,977 Piry May 26, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,241,757 France Aug.16, 1960 OTHER REFERENCES Missiles and Rockets, pages 67-69.

1. THE METHOD FOR SUBMERGING A SUBMERSIBLE BOAT FROM A FLOATING POSITIONON THE WATER TO A HORIZONTAL POSITION AT A DESIRED DEPTH UNDER THE WATERCOMPRISING THE STEPS OF TILTING THE BOAT TO A SHARP ANGLE WITH THEVERTICAL AND DECREASING THE BUOYANCY TO SINK THE BOAT TO THE DESIREDDEPTH WHEREBY TO PRODUCE A FAST DIVE DUE TO THE MINIMUM OF RESISTANCEOFFERED BY THE SHAPE OF THE CRAFT, AND THEN TILTING THE BOAT TO THEHORIZONTAL POSITION.